Introduction to logic, the branch of philosophy that studies the structure and principles of good reasoning and argumentation. The elements and structure of thought and evaluative standards, the uses of language, definition, the informal fallacies, deduction, categorical syllogisms, arguments in ordinary language, symbolic logic, formal proofs, quantification theory, induction and abduction, the scientific method, and inductive fallacies.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

The general purpose of this course is to help students improve their reasoning and argumentation skills. By the end of this course students should be able to effectively evaluate their own and others’ reasoning.